The UFC once again showed that they have the talent and the management to stay as the biggest and best MMA Organization around for a long time to come. In a day and age where one star getting hurt can ruin a show, the UFC took a match that was intriguing more so because of the hype that they craftily created around it (Matt Hughes would no doubt be at least a 2-1 favorite come fight time) and replaced it with a fight between without a doubt the two best welterweights in the world. I personally can’t stand those rankings all over the Internet that place Matt Serra as the number one welterweight fighter in the world. Unranked Arkansas just beat #1 LSU in college football last weekend, therefore that makes Arkansas the #1 team right? Of course not.
This is by no means disrespect to Serra, who could easily be placed at #3 or #4, but would anyone actually place their money on Serra if he fought Matt Hughes or Georges St. Pierre and the lines were even? Would Vegas favor Serra if he fought GSP or Hughes? Simply no, he would likely be anywhere from a 2-1 to 3-1 underdog against either fighter. That being said, I’m disappointed that Serra doesn’t get the chance to fight Hughes as it seemed like he was very excited to step up to the challenge and grudge matches in MMA are simply the best, with Hughes vs. Frank Trigg toping my personal list. No matter the outcome, a fight between two guys that don’t like or respect each other is that much more captivating for the fans.
The replacement fight does leave some questions though, as both fighters are at very different stages in their career and now seem to be fighting for different reasons. Rumor had it that Hughes was going to (possibly) beat Serra and then retire on top, a fitting curtain call for the greatest welterweight and perhaps the greatest fighter the UFC has ever known. On this season of The Ultimate Fighter, Hughes indicated that he only had “a few more fights in him.” Both Hughes and Serra seemed to have great distain for one another and the hype of this TUF season made the match-up even more intriguing. Throw in a herniated disk in the Champ’s back and Hughes now has to face GSP, the man who handed him the worst lose of his storied career not so long ago at UFC 65. Why would GSP take a fight against such a talented fighter as Hughes on only 4 weeks notice? A young GSP has had a taste of the Championship gold, and he wants it back more than anything. UFC 65 was a changing of the guard with a great champion being ousted by the next great champion of the UFC welterweight division, without a doubt the most talent rich division in any MMA organization. A loss would effect the fighters careers in very different ways and GSP is really in a no-lose situation. If Hughes loses, he will probably retire or hopefully come back for one more fight against Serra, assuming he can fight again (back injuries can be tricky for a ground specialist) but he would have to wait until after Serra fights GSP. If Hughes wins, he could still possibly retire, as the only fight he would want is to fight Serra for the unified title and then retire on top like his fans would want. If GSP wins, he gets his longed for rematch with Serra and then will have to carry the UFC into the future against tough contenders like Karo Parisyan, Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. Even in losing, GSP will still remain a top contender as a loss to Matt Hughes after taking the fight on short notice will not be held against him. To a certain extent should he win or lose, GSP undoubtedly gained favor with the UFC management for stepping up and making the New Year’s Show even better than is already was and showing UFC president Dana White that he has what it takes to be a…. well, you know. |
